First Impressions and Final Confessions
by Ripple Effects
Summary: Little did she know a certain photo incident would affect her college life. Snap!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: First Impressions**

Lucy would've been happy. _Would've_ if she wasn't going to attend the university right next to her high school. Good riddance. The distance was shorter than the closest grocery store to Lucy's house. She may dare even say it was shorter than the length of her hair.

"Chop it all off," Lucy demanded.

"No," her mother sharply replied and smiled sweetly at the hairdresser, "just give her hair a nice trim."

"I want a pixie cut."

"A small _trim,_ " she corrected.

From the mirror, she could see her mother crookedly smiling and waving her wallet, already basking in the air of victory. The poor hairdresser looked helplessly between the daughter and the mother, scratching her head as she snapped the barber's cape around Lucy. "Layer trim?" she asked hopefully.

It turned out nicer than Lucy had expected, though it was still unbearably long in the summer heat. If she tied it in a neat ponytail behind her, it would look as if she had shorter hair. Maybe her old classmates wouldn't be able to recognize her if she added makeup and dyed hair.

"Aren't you excited, Lucy? You have your university orientation tomorrow!" her mother squealed as she dragged Lucy through the shopping mall. "Though I don't understand why you have to tie up your hair. It looks beautiful down."

The girl groaned. "It's 100 degrees, mom. I'm going to boil to death."

"You mean 100 degrees outside," she corrected. "The mall always has nice air conditioners. Why don't you put it down?"

"I like having my hair this way," Lucy insisted.

Her mother rolled her eyes but didn't push the conversation.

By the time, they stopped for lunch, Lucy was exhausted. Her fingers were red and crinkled from carrying ten bags of clothes, her mouth felt parched, and her feet ached in the small-fitted wedges. She usually loved to shop – just _not_ exactly with her mother, whose tastes were on the opposite side of the spectrum from Lucy's.

"Chicken tenders as usual?" her mother asked.

"With-"

"Honey mustard," she answered for Lucy and grinned. "I'll be right back."

Lucy could only grin back as she watched the older woman disappear within the crowds. As she took out her phone, she stared at the reflection on the screen. Her hand traveled up to her bobby pin and released the bangs that fell in wispy strands. Though she hesitated, Lucy finally untied her hair, watching the layers cascade past her shoulders and toward her stomach.

It didn't look bad.

She nearly jumped out of fright when her phone buzzed again and again. The screen was spammed with her friend's messages.

 _Levy: LUCYYYY_

 _Levy: ARE YOU READY FOR TOMORROW_

 _Levy: I'M ACTUALLY_

 _Levy: KINDA_

 _Levy: REALLY_

 _Levy: NERVOUS_

 _Levy: WHAT IF I SCREW UP?_

Lucy quirked up an eyebrow as she texted back.

 _Lucy: why would you be nervous?_

 _Lucy: it's just an orientation_

 _Levy: I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH_

 _Levy: FOR MY CLASSES_

 _Levy: I EVEN GOOGLED WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK SO I CAN LOOK SMART_

 _Lucy: …_

 _Lucy: girl, you're way too stressed for this_

"Is anyone sitting here?"

The blonde looked up from her phone and nearly sputtered in surprise. She covered it up by coughing and clearing her throat. She dared her eyes to look back at the man. _Who was shirtless_. _With chiseled, tanned abs._ With a wobbly, high-pitched voice, she answered, "I'm with someone. But you're free to take those two chairs."

Mother of pearls. Those abs must be rock hard.

"Thanks!" Lucy watched him fumble around before picking up a chair. However, when he lifted the chair, she didn't know that would be the death of her. She saw his entire arm flex into a heavenly contour of muscles. Muscular yet lean. She would have died in peace at that moment.

As soon as the guy turned around, she fumbled for her phone and stabbed the screen with texts.

 _Lucy: Levy_

 _Lucy: Muscles_

 _Lucy: Abs_

 _Lucy: 6-pack_

 _Levy: I don't have a 6-pack, Lucy_

 _Lucy: -_-_

 _Lucy: I mean there's a guy near me_

 _Lucy: Hot like hot tamales smoking in a volcano_

 _Lucy: and he's shirtless._

 _Levy: Oooooooo_

 _Levy: ohmygosh take a pic_

 _Levy: I wanna see_

 _Lucy: …_

 _Levy: c'mon!_

 _Lucy: okay, fine_

 _Lucy: hold on_

Very indiscreetly, she angled her phone towards the guy, posturing with a blank face. She took a deep breath, steadied the phone, and pressed the camera button.

 _Snap! Snap!_

She froze.

He froze.

Lucy would have sworn the entire mall brightened with the forgotten flash. The click, which she also had on maximum volume, echoed throughout the mall. She watched in horror as he turned around with a surprised look etched onto his face. The blonde sat in stunned silence before she picked herself up and bolted straight for the restroom.

"Wait!" Lucy could hear him following her. Oh no. Oh no.

Her face was burning from embarrassment. She zipped by multiple people, muttered a million 'Excuse me,' and panted heavily as she averted a sharp turn into a restroom hallway. She looked behind her in case before taking out her phone.

 _Lucy: MISSION ABORT_

 _Lucy: MISSION ABORT_

 _Levy: what_

 _Lucy: SHIT_

 _Levy: LUCY!_

 _Lucy: OH MY FUCKING GOD_

 _Lucy: WHAT DO I FUCKING DO_

 _Levy: STOP FUCKING CUSSING_

 _Lucy: LEVY!_

 _Levy: lol_

 _Lucy: NO_

 _Lucy: SERIOUSLY_

 _Lucy: REMEMBER LAST NIGHT_

 _Lucy: WHEN WE TOOK A PIC ON MY PHONE_

 _Lucy: AND IT WAS DARK?_

 _Levy: oh no_

 _Levy: was flash on?_

 _Lucy: -SOBS-_

 _Lucy: MY SOUND WAS ON MAX TOO_

 _Levy: omg Lucyyyy_

 _Levy: well, what happened?_

 _Lucy: I DON'T KNOW_

 _Lucy: I JUST FUCKING BOLTED_

 _Levy: LOOL_

 _Levy: …_

 _Levy: did you get a nice shot?_

 _Lucy: YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL SECOND-HAND EMBARRASSMENT FOR ME_

 _Levy: HEY_

 _Levy: HOT GUY FIRST_

 _Levy: EMBARRASSMENT SECOND_

Lucy let out an exasperated sigh as she felt her face still heated from shame. She breathed in slowly as her shaking hand opened photo album. While it was loading, she looked up, saw her mother in front of her, and nearly screamed in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" her mother asked worriedly. "Is your stomach alri - Oh! Your hair is down! See I told you it's nice!"

"Yeah, uhm I mean n-no I ju – actually, yeah. M-my stomach doesn't feel good," Lucy murmured quickly. "Can we just go home?"

"Sure. Do you need me to call Mrs. Spetto? She'll get medicine for you –"

"No no, I'm alright." Lucy held up one trembling hand. "I just want to rest a bit. Since orientation's tomorrow and stuff and I thought I should have more rest today rather than shop, you know?" she rambled on.

Though she cast a suspicious glance, her mother nodded understandingly. "Let's go right now then."

"Yeah." She sighed in relief as she trailed her.

* * *

 _Levy: You still haven't sent the pic yet!_

 _Levy: Lemme see!_

 _Lucy: DO YOU REALIZE THE PAINS I HAD AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH_

 _Lucy: TO GET THIS PIC_

 _Lucy: FOR YOU?_

 _Lucy: I'M STILL CRINGING IN EMBARRASSMENT_

 _Levy: Well, you didn't see him on your way out_

 _Levy: so that's good, I guess?_

 _Levy: now lemme see_

 _Lucy: ugh_

 _Lucy: hold on, it's loading_

 _Levy: LOAD FASTER_

 _Levy: OH I SEE IT_

 _Levy: HAHAHAHAHA_

 _Levy: OHMYGOSH_

 _Lucy: what?_

 _Levy: DO YOU NOT SEE IT?_

 _Lucy: he looks fine?_

 _Lucy: besides the fact that he's half naked?_

 _Levy: NO, BEHIND THE SHIRTLESS GUY_

 _Levy: LOL_

The blonde swiped away the text message screen to observe the photo. At first, she had to force herself to look around him. Her eyes were so focused on the shirtless man that all she could do was stare at the space next to his chiseled body.

To her shock, she ended up seeing that that behind shirtless man, there was a second guy who stared straight into Lucy's camera. He had jet-black hair, droopy eyes, and eyebrows raised in suspicion. His finger was also pointed in Lucy's direction.

"NOOO!" the blonde wailed. "NONONONONO!" She collapsed onto her bed and rolled in frustration. Her fingers angrily swiped back to the text message screen.

 _Lucy: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

 _Levy: LOL_

 _Lucy: HIS FRIEND SAW IT TOO_

 _Lucy: I'M SO DEAD_

 _Lucy: THEY'RE GONNA REPORT ME TO THE POLICE FOR THIS_

 _Lucy: I'M GONNA BE EXPELLED FOR BEING A CREEP_

 _Levy: maybe_

 _Lucy: LEVY!_

 _Levy: lol just kidding~_

 _Levy: but did you not see his friend's sweater?_

 _Lucy: what_

 _Levy: it says Fiore University_

 _Lucy: ..._

 _Lucy: you're kidding me_

 _Levy: girl, I ain't kidding you_

 _Levy: go check_

The blonde quickly swiped to photos, observed the image, confirmed the logo, and swiped back.

 _Lucy: SHIT_

 _Levy: LUCY!_

 _Lucy: mother of PEARLS_

 _Lucy: I'm freaking out_

 _Lucy: WHY DID I DO IT?_

 _Lucy: I SHOULD'VE JUST STUCK WITH STARING_

 _Levy: but then you wouldn't have something to stare at all day_

 _Lucy: WHY WAS HE SHIRTLESS IN THE FIRST PLACE?_

 _Levy: does it matter? ;)_

 _Lucy: …_

 _Lucy: can I blame you?_

 _Levy: sure ;)_

 _Lucy: okay…_

 _Levy: remember, deep breath_

 _Lucy: kay…_

 _Lucy: I love you, girl_

 _Lucy: but seriously, fuck you_

 _Levy: LOL_

 _Levy: love you too! ;)_

 _Levy: though I know you wanted a pic too~_

 _Levy: hehehehe_

 _Lucy: -sighs-_

Lucy tossed aside her phone and groaned in embarrassment, frowning every time her mind replayed the scene. Damn shirtless man.

Speaking of shirtless man, she never really paid attention to his face. She quickly grabbed her phone and looked at the photo.

"What?! He has pink hair? How did I not notice?!" she exclaimed as she zoomed in. Understandably, the lighting from the mall did discolor the top portion of his hair to orange, but it was still unique. Though his hair was spiked, it was also extremely messy. Lucy could only assume that he was working out prior to the scene.

Disappointedly, she couldn't make out anything else with his back turned to her.

"Lucy! Go to sleep! It's eleven. You have your college orientation tomorrow!" Mrs. Spetto called out as she knocked on Lucy's door. "Are you listening?"

"Yeah. I was going to go to sleep," she answered and clicked off the lights.

"Did you pack for one night tomorrow?"

"Yep. Good night, Mrs. Spetto."

"Good night, Lucy."

She crawled underneath the bed covers while staring at the photo. Fiore University. All she knew was that she had to watch out for the droopy-eye guy.

And of course, a certain shirtless pinkette.

They'll certainly be the death of her.

* * *

 **A/N: Made an account just for this. Got inspired after seeing a snapchat story like that HAHA... though I feel like this story has definitely been made before...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Deep Shit and Still First Impressions**

Lucy was planning to wake up extra early – with her hair conditioned and curled to beach waves, her makeup natural and flawless, and her skin shaved and perfected to model status. Of course, it inevitably failed, mainly because of her idiocy to set the alarm to 5:30 PM instead of AM.

What actually resulted in a last-minute throwaway was Lucy wearing a dirty, brown hoodie with ripped jeans, a cap to cover her oily hair, and glasses because she had no time to stuff in those pesky contacts. And unforgettably, she brought a grouchy mood, which worsened when she saw the clock shine 6:59 AM.

Lucy Heartfilia was not in tip-top shape for first impressions.

"I need time to look like my glamorous self, dad!" she whined, "Do you see this face? It's oily and filled with blackheads! And feel my hair! It's so gross!"

"You're going for academic purposes, not fashion, Lucy," her father replied with a sigh.

"I'll do better if I look prettier!"

"It's just orientation. And I know you aced tests while looking worse than this."

Lucy leaned against the car door with an irritated face. "Only mom would understand," she muttered with a harrumph.

Her mother suddenly popped in from the back of the car. "No I wouldn't, missy. And you are not going to be late just because you think you look like a slob," the older woman scolded.

"I thought you'd be on my side for this! This isn't fair!" Lucy cried.

"Hun, the world isn't fair like that. Now hurry along." Her mother closed the back door and scuttled to her father. "Drive safely, Jude. And be sure to repeat the procedure before she goes, alright?" They shared a tiny kiss, and her mother watched as her husband and daughter drove away.

The drive barely took five minutes. Lucy watched the all-too familiar backgrounds and infrastructures they usually passed by. College wasn't going to be exciting at all, for all she knew. Nothing was new. She wasn't going somewhere else. She wasn't going to out-of-state. She was still in the little suburban city of Fiore, where she had lived in since she was born.

"First impressions," her father interrupted her thoughts, "in business, you always check if he or she is responsible before you judge their appearance and character."

" _In business, you always check blah blah blah_ ," Lucy mimicked in a mocking tone. "It may be for you and your business-oriented ways, but I always judge by people's appearances. Most people don't want to admit it, but appearances are the most defining aspect."

"That may be true. But appearances are short-term," her father replied with a patient tone. "Personality and behaviors stick around much longer."

"That's what they – ugh, philosophy 101 in the morning. And I even got caught up in it," Lucy groaned.

Her father chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot. "It'll serve you well in the future."

Lucy muttered a few incoherent words as she pulled her luggage out from the backseats. She pulled up the handle, straddled her backpack, and readjusted her cap. "Just wait until I bring in my future boyfriend," she smirked. "We'll see how you'll judge him then."

Her father only rolled his eyes. "I'd be surprised if that day comes after seeing your failed attempts in high school." He muted out Lucy's indignant growls. "But keep in mind you're here to learn, not to hit on people. Anyhow, since we have time, repeat the procedures."

"Awww, what? We have to do that?" Lucy complained.

"Even your mother told me to do so."

She snorted. "Didn't you admit I'm a failure at attracting guys?"

"Even so. You gotta do it."

The blonde frowned and grumbled in a low voice, "Say no, and if the creep refuses to comply, kick him in the balls and scream bloody murder."

"Great!" he beamed. "You'll do fine, _Lucky_ Lucy." He again ignored Lucy's shouts of embarrassment before blasting Mozart's opera on full volume and chuckling to himself as he drove away, waving dearly to his angry and extremely embarrassed daughter.

The blonde meanwhile was left in the parking lot (with staring passerby students) with an even sourer mood. "Ah!" she perked up. "I'll just text Levy about my troubles."

 _Lucy: o Levy~_

 _Lucy: wherefore art thou?_

Lucy blinked. Surprisingly, there was no instantaneous response. She expected her friend to freak and call out Lucy for being classically gross. Even after waiting five minutes, the phone remained still.

"Well, thanks friend," she muttered sarcastically and stared at the massive building before her. It was impressively huge, towering over neighboring buildings with a regal accent of blue, gold, and white flowing down the walls. The infrastructure was a grandiose display, and to finish it off, beautiful cursive letters printed 'Fiore University'.

She didn't want to admit anything to this university. "What a gaudy building," Lucy said out loud. After listlessly standing in front of the structure, she realized that was only the student center.

"Okay, maybe it's different from high school," the blonde admitted.

"Erm, hello. Do you…need some help?" a male from behind asked. She whipped around (instincts from Dad's karate lessons) but was instantaneously met by a drop-dead gorgeous boy with ocean-blue hair. His beautiful, luscious, tousled hair. His deep auburn eyes. A unique red tattoo draping the right side of his face. The pretty boy took out a hand. "I'm Jellal. Judging by your luggage, I assume you are new to Fiore University."

Impression time. Lucy was going to score some points. She cleared her throat and leaned on her hip. "I'm Lucy," she said and bit her lips seductively. Boy would she have stuff to tell Levy, she thought greedily.

Jellal, however, blinked. "You sound sick. Are you alright for orientation?"

She immediately snapped, "I'm not sick." Or not.

"Oh, okay," Jellal looked genuinely relieved, which further ticked off the blonde. Fully unaware, he continued as if nothing happened. "Our lines are becoming really long. Are you a regular or an Honors student?"

"Honors." She tried to flip her hair, only to realize that her (oily) hair was in her cap and that her outfit today quite sucked. Fumbling, Lucy covered it up by clearing her throat. "Does it make a difference?" she coolly asked.

"Yes! Honors gets a slightly different program for orientation. And the line isn't as long as _that_." Jellal pointed toward an enormous line that seemingly stretched for miles, causing Lucy's jaw to slam onto the ground. "Since you're in Honors, I'll take you to the Administration building, so you can be with them," he answered cheerily and walked off, gesturing her to follow.

"B-but my…s-seduction….ugh, whatever," she mumbled and trailed behind him.

Though Lucy was a bit prickly at first, she had to admit the conversation – which absolutely excluded any of her seductive attempts - with Jellal was enjoyable and informative. Everytime they stopped by a building, Jellal took the effort to explain the history (she nearly dozed off) and the purposes behind them.

"And here we are at the Administration building. Any questions regarding aid, scholarships, housing, or general topics regarding Fiore University can be asked here. We usually hold banquets and events inside." He turned to face Lucy with a bright smile. "You'll definitely find the registration site once you enter. Enjoy your orientation here."

"Thanks so much, Jellal," she smiled back. "I appreciate it."

"No problem. It's Lucy, right? I may drop by later when you and the others start filling in course schedules. What's your major?"

"Law. I was planning to double in journalism, but I also might look into learning other languages…" While she spoke, Lucy's mind rambled with random thoughts and excitement as she spoke to the handsome student. "You're…super nice, Jellal." She flashed her brightest commercial-selling smile.

Not surprisingly, he continued without a notice, "I'm also majoring in law, though my second major isn't journalism. I can definitely help you pick out classes since my other friend is in it. And…" He slightly blushed, which made Lucy scream barnacles inside her head. "…well I want to make you guys feel comfortable. I was here last year, and many people, who volunteered in the orientations, were helpful to me. I wanted to be like them…so here I am." He awkwardly laughed.

 _That's so damn cute!_ "That's really cool of you," Lucy smiled. "I kind of want to do it now as well."

"Really?" His eyes lit up but faltered a bit. "I-I actually shouldn't keep you here too long. The line might be even longer because I kept you here. I'll see you later then, Lucy." Jellal waved to Lucy and turned while Lucy was internally screaming at him not to go.

"Drats!" she muttered darkly. "Just when I was getting the feel of him…" She breathed in…and out. "Don't worry, Lucy. You still have four years ahead of you! There are more -!"

Her phone buzzed at a convenient time. She immediately flipped it open.

 _Levy: yo girl._

 _Levy: and wtf, don't use that line_

 _Levy: it's creepy._

 _Lucy: omg took you long enough to respond_

Immediately, Lucy ran inside and caught the end of the line before it got any longer. She licked her lips and was ready to stab the screen with texts about Jellal, but Levy texted before she could say anything.

 _Levy: well, I'm in some deep shit_

 _Lucy: LEVY!_

 _Lucy: and what happened?!_

 _Levy: actually first, you should get in here_

 _Levy: before things go down, you know?_

 _Lucy: you're not telling me what's going on!_

 _Levy: okay okay, don't freak out too much, okay?_

 _Lucy: kay_

 _Levy: shirtless man is here. His friend too_

 _Lucy: WHAT THE FUCK_

 _Levy: LUCY!_

 _Levy: AND I TOLD YOU NOT TO FREAK OUT_

 _Lucy: ARE YOU SURE?!_

 _Levy: His friend is definitely here – droopy eyes, dark hair_

 _Levy: but idk about shirtless man_

 _Levy: maybe it's another guy with pink hair_

 _Lucy: ugh, it's probably him._

 _Lucy: but what happened?_

 _Lucy: they don't know you_

 _Levy: well_

 _Levy: the thing is…they have two other friends_

 _Levy: and this is embarrassing but_

 _Levy: I recognize one of them_

 _Lucy: seriously? How?_

 _Levy: erm, we used to go to the same elementary school…_

 _Lucy: ooo_

 _Lucy: bad or good relations?_

 _Levy: let's say it wasn't good._

 _Lucy: ahhhh_

 _Lucy: so we're in the same boat?_

 _Levy: yeah_

 _Levy: except yours was more cringe-worthy LOL_

 _Lucy: BE QUIET, CHILD_

Lucy huffed an irritated sigh before she looked up and realized she was already at the front of the line. A redheaded girl at the registration desk looked back at her.

"Name?"

"Heartfilia, Lucy," she answered. "H-E-A-R-T-F-I-L-I-A." Lucy watched the girl trace her finger down the paper.

"Ah, there you are." The redhead grabbed a pile of paper and smacked it into Lucy's hands. "When you enter the lecture hall, seat yourself wherever you want. But be sure to listen to Chancellor Makarov's introductory lecture. It has good advice and guidelines."

"Erm, yes…thanks." Lucy unsteadily manhandled the thick stack of papers and awkwardly glided into the room before she was pushed by a small brute force. "Watch it!" she exclaimed.

"Shhh!" A petite bluenette looked up at her. "It's me, fam."

"I still would've told you to watch it, Levy. Do you see this abnormal stack of paper?" Lucy muttered as her friend pulled her toward the back of the lecture hall. "Why are we going so far back anyways?"

"I told you I'm in deep shit," Levy casually said, ignoring Lucy's abrupt 'LEVY!' "So I told you I knew one of them," she continued, "and it's not a good history between us."

They sat down in a far corner. Lucy watched Levy's eyes dart between her and a far area in the front.

"Are you comfortable with telling me what made it a bad history?" the blonde cautiously asked, frowning when Levy made it apparent she was debating whether or not to tell it out loud. "Look, if you're not comfortable, you don't have to tell me."

"No." The bluenette held up a hand. "It's fine. Okay, do you see mister shirtless man in the front?" She pointed to the very front row as Lucy adjusted her seat to look.

"I don't see him."

"Look closer," Levy pressed on. "He's like…five seats from the right?"

And sure enough, Lucy spotted a familiar spiked bush of pink hair. It had the same orange tint when shone by overhead lights. "Damn, it is him," she muttered.

"Alright, two seats from shirtless man to his left. Do you see that guy with the long black hair?"

"Uhh…." Lucy squinted and was hit by a deadly, chaotic, air guitar - shrieking sight of a tattoo and piercing spammed man. Almost on cue, the man turned to the side with a _what-the-fuck-do-you-want_ glare in his blood-red eyes. "What did you do to him, Levy?" she immediately asked and glanced at her friend.

Levy shot her hands in the air. "What do you mean?! I didn't do anything to him! I was bullied by that prick!" Suddenly, she flushed and sunk her head in shame.

Lucy gaped. "You were bullied by him?"

Levy nodded sullenly.

"Shoo, man. I'm not gonna sit here any longer. I'm going to go up to him and TEACH HIM WHO'S BOSS!" Lucy shot up like an arrow and started to march for the front before Levy pulled her down.

"You idiot!" she hissed. "You forgot about shirtless man and his droopy-eyed friend!"

"Oh, you're right. Damn it!" Lucy cursed. "I was going to teach that stupid, fricking punk a lesson. But hey, look, maybe I'll try seducing a professor to give that guy hell."

Levy facepalmed. "Look, first, let's talk about that later. Second, that's the worst idea I've ever heard. And third, we should listen to that old professor talk." She turned towards the front with a sigh.

"But-!" Lucy began but stopped short after seeing her friend's intent glare at her own paper. She sulked, and the two of them remained silent during the lecture.

* * *

After the lecture, everything became a huge mess. The huge group in the lecture hall broke off into smaller groups according to their majors, so Lucy ended up being separated from Levy (she desperately clung onto the blunette before Levy smacked her). She cursed herself not majoring in journalism first.

More lectures unfortunately followed, and paperwork piled to the ceilings. As soon as some professors opened their mouths, Lucy dozed off, hoping with all her might that she wouldn't be caught drooling or snoring and that they were not going to be her future professors. Unfortunately, one by the name of Professor Dreyar definitely was.

"Greetings, students of our Law program, you can address me as either Professor Dreyar or Laxus. Actually, just kidding. Don't address me by Laxus, or I'll label you as a prick," he monotonously mumbled, obviously bored to death himself. "You guys are all probably eager to join like all incoming freshman are…"

A few students in the front eagerly nodded along.

"Well," he looked at them, "you shouldn't. You guys are all going to die in the first two years. And when you think it couldn't be any worse, it'll be hell in your third year. If you procrastinate, you're going to wish your sorry ass you weren't in Fiore University. Oh yeah, I should also mention office hours for some of you who won't understand lessons and concepts at all. Only bring smart questions, or I'm kicking you out. Anyways, who's thinking of becoming a lawyer?"

Most of the students hesitantly raised their hands while the remaining were in stunned silence, rethinking their lives.

"Well, you're going for a hell of a ride," he drawled. "Everyone who's sitting next to you and raised their hands is going to be your enemy, whether you like it or not. You'll compete for grades, internships, scholarships, and jobs. Who's going for something else?"

Lucy raised her hand, though she regretted it when she realized she was the only one in the room.

"Lookie here, someone who's not going to be a lawyer. What are you planning to be?"

She blinked, suddenly feeling pressured under the spotlight. "Foreign…ambassador," Lucy tried in her most confident voice.

Professor Dreyar himself blinked a couple of times. "Well, that's new. Good for you, you're the only one who's planning on doing that. Anyways, as a reminder for all of you, my name is Professor Laxus. Have a nice, average day." He walked off the stage satisfied.

The Law students remained deadly silent afterwards, obviously shell-shocked into pessimism, as only crickets could be heard. Even Lucy couldn't bring herself to say anything to the students next to her. The positive energy spawned by volunteers and previous professors diminished to dust.

One woman with white, snow hair hurried up on stage with an awkward stumble. A few male students perked up at the sight of the beauty.

"W-well, that was a bit frightening, right?" she tried to joke, though she sent a venomous glare toward the monotonous professor's direction. "Anyways, my name is Professor Strauss. You may address me as Mirajane…"

Lunch passed by without a care. Lucy grew more depressed when there was no sight of her bluenette friend. Even her phone remained silent. She numbly sat down and ate a sad-looking sandwich with oddly no complaints. She took a sip of her water while being muddled in negative thoughts.

"Can I sit here?"

"Sure," she answered absentmindedly. Sure enough, a push of the chair and the thud of the seat were heard. Her mind, however, was heavily occupied with Levy's bullying history. Even though they were great friends, she couldn't believe Levy didn't tell her until now. She swore she would hurt the guy with the odd piercings and tattoos.

"Hey, I noticed that you're in the department for law. One of my friends is the Professor for some courses," the voice peeped by her. She looked around with a bored face and was faced by a grinning man with pink hair.

Lucy immediately shrieked and fell backwards, simultaneously choking on her water and having the breath knocked out of her when she landed. Why was shirtless man here?

Unfortunately, the incident attracted the entire attention wave of the cafeteria. Everyone looked over at the crestfallen blonde, who picked herself up and stared at the pink-haired man in horror.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"U-uh n-n-n-no, SORRYINEEDTOGO!" she sputtered and bolted out of the cafeteria, embarrassed from head to toe. The whole situation felt like a déjà-vu moment. She nearly cried in terror when she saw a pink tuff follow her outside.

"Hey! Wait! Did I do something wrong?" he shouted, somehow clueless.

"No!" she shrieked. "You didn't' do anything wrong!"

"Then why are you running?!"

"Then why are you chasing me?!" she shot back.

He looked a stumped for a second before angrily shaking his fist. "Hey! You didn't answer my question!"

As the chase continued, Lucy died internally a million times. Here she was, planning to have a normal college life. But no, she had to get herself into this situation, being chased by the man who she took a stalker picture of. Unfortunately for Lucy, she didn't take P.E. for the last two years, so she instantly felt the payback. "You should know the answer yourself!" she wheezed.

"Uh, no I don't. I don't read minds!" the shirtless (he's currently not shirtless) man shouted back. As his body condition indicated, he easily caught up to the not-as-fit Lucy and ended up jogging next to the huffing and wheezing blonde. "So you wanna tell me?" he asked.

"Nuh….nuh….NO!" she shouted with all her strength before she flopped onto the floor, giving up on life.

"What the heck, why not? I need to know." He comfortably seated himself next to her. "If you feel uncomfortable around hot guys like me, you should let me know, so I can leave you alone."

Lucy's head perked up. Did this ignorant, self-absorbed guy not remember the photo incident from yesterday? She blinked before observing him. He for sure was the man from yesterday. She saw the lines of muscle through his well-fitted shirt. It was in the same exact place…every contour and gap – now she was just sounding creepy. She shook her head out of the gutter.

"You're being oddly quiet," he observed her. "Do we know each other from somewhere?"

"NO!" Lucy answered – a bit too quickly.

He looked at her suspiciously and scratched his chin, narrowing his eyes as if trying to remember something. Lucy immediately pulled her cap down and bit her lips. Maybe the reason why he didn't remember her was because of her cap and glasses. For the first time, Lucy was thankful for her current outfit.

"Ugh…my brain hurts," the pink-haired man complained and dropped onto the ground as he glanced at Lucy. "Are you sure we haven't met from somewhere?"

"Super super super sure!" she lied.

The male pouted before looking back. "Then why did you run away from me?"

She forgot to prepare for this question. "Uhm…I ran… because….I was…embarraassseedd…." Lucy dragged out the answer, allowing her time to think. "You know, because all that happened…"

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, don't run away like that. It makes me think I did something horribly wrong to you, like murdering your pet rock…. Anyways….ugh." After a loud grunt, he slowly pulled himself up and stuck a hand toward Lucy. "If it's alright with you, I'm Natsu. I major in Chemistry."

"If you don't chase me anymore like that, I'm Lucy," she answered and flicked away his hand.

"Hey!" he frowned. "I was trying to introduce myself as a better person."

"You said if it was alright with me," the blonde quickly answered, desperate to get him off her back. "Anyways I gotta go…"

"Hey wait! Uhm. Luke, I think?"

She turned around with an indignant expression. "I just told you I'm Lucy! And I'm a female!"

"Well you didn't introduce yourself with enough enthusiasm! And what if Luke was unisex name (which isn't)?!" he shot back.

"Well I'm Lucy!" she shouted and used sign language to spell out her name. "See?! This is Lucy. L-U-C-Y! And my last name? It's H-E-A-R-T-F-I-L-I-A! Heartfilia! Lucy Heartfilia! Is that enough enthusiasm?!" She threw up her hands, panting.

"Alright see? Now I know your name is Lucy Heartfilia." He gave her a toothy grin.

Lucy suddenly froze, swimming in a bucket full of regret. What if his whole purpose was to get her name? "Are you going to report me to the police?" she whispered, frightened.

Natsu immediately contorted his face into utter confusion. "What?! Why would I do that?! Unless…." He squinted his eyes at her. "You did something wrong…extremely wrong. Wait! You look familiar!"

Billions of sweat beads trickled down her neck as she audibly gulped. "No, I don't," she insisted.

He blinked. "Why are you denying something that I think is familiar?"

"Because I can!" she pressed.

He threw up his hands in disbelief. "You don't make any sense!"

"Good!" After seeing a clear mud puddle being formed in Natsu's brain, Lucy sauntered off with a pained expression of utter mortification. Any dream that she had yesterday in getting together with shirtless man A.K.A. Natsu was thrown out the window. For one-hundred percent sure. She wanted to bury herself in the dirt and live the rest of her life as a carrot.

Meanwhile, Natsu stood with a stunned expression before breaking into laughter. "What the heck just happened?" he asked himself, amazed, as he strolled back to the cafeteria.

* * *

Utter humiliation.

That was what happened every single damn time she was with that stupid pink-haired dude.

 _Yeah, but who was that idiot who took a picture of his **nice, chiseled** abs? _ an annoying head voice taunted her.

 _Shut your damn mouth. You're me anyways_ , she told it.

It grumbled before going silent. Lucy sighed in exasperation before realizing she said it out loud and mumbled a few words of apologies to neighboring people. She recognized that the situation once again proved that the man named Natsu would inevitably lead to her downfall in youth.

"Did you sign up in the order I told you to do?" Jellal asked out of the blue, startling her back into reality.

"Yes, I did!" she sputtered. "Thank you, I got all the classes I wanted in a decent schedule."

"That's good," he smiled warmly at her before gasping at her schedule in horror. "You have classes all back-to-back?! And you signed up for morning classes?!"

"What?" Lucy looked confused. "They literally start at 9 AM."

His eyes were as wide as saucers. "That is super early. Good luck."

She didn't want to go all up in Jellal's face and ask how she was going to die in 9 AM classes when she survived the past 13 years waking up at 7:30 AM for school. Instead, she merely stated that she was a commuter and ended the conversation at that.

Finally, the staff introduced the bedraggled students to their dorms for the night. As soon as Lucy opened her room, she was met by a beautiful sight.

"Single-room," she cried and immediately dropped everything to flop onto the rock-hard bed. "I love everything! Well, minus the texture of the bed," she muttered. As soon as she was about to pass out, there was a sharp rap on the door.

"All freshmen! Come down to bond with your other fellow freshman!" a male shouted. "If you don't, we're gonna break in and carry you down!" It was followed by a wild stampede of cheering and whistling.

To her horror, her unlocked doorknob turned and was opened by a group of upperclassmen wearing the volunteer Orientation shirts. They immediately pulled Lucy up and down the stairs, where she was muddled by people.

Hot. Stuffy. Crowded. Lucy had to edge to what she assumed was a kitchen. She was ragged, out of breath, and sleepy as something was handed to her. She glanced up.

"Hey, weird person," Natsu grinned. "You seem tired."

She blinked through the haze of noises and people. "Am I imagining you?"

He guffawed. "Uh, no? Are you high on sleepiness or something?"

Lucy had to sit down on a stool and massage her temples. "Maybe," she replied, "why are you in my dorm?"

Natsu rolled his eyes. She noticed they were charcoal black. "They're co-Ed dorms. They placed the chemistry and law students together because the science department was too crowded," he explained.

"Uhuh..." she simply said.

"Wow, you're really going to fall asleep at this point," he commented as he stared at her. "The dorm events haven't even started."

"If I had more energy, then maybe..." she murmured sleepily.

"Oh!" Natsu lit up as he handed her a can. "Then you'll definitely need this."

"What..."

"Energy drink," he smirked. "Pretty self-explanatory."

Lucy nodded while she popped off the tab and took a long drink, gulping large quantities - not realizing Natsu was intently staring at her as he murmured.

"I really do think I have seen you before."

* * *

The blonde woke up with a start. She blinked at the white ceiling above her, where a lonely fan sadly spun. It had someone's scarf hanging on one edge.

She had a sharp migraine, and she was about to touch her temple before realizing her left hand (or arm) was occupied. A random female student had fallen asleep on it. Beyond the unknown female was a massive sea of students, all in a deep slumber.

Lucy tried reaching for her head with her right hand. However, her entire right body was locked in place. She looked over out of curiosity, only to have her face inches away from the face of a sound-asleep pink-haired boy.

Ah, it was Natsu.

She breathed in. And screamed bloody murder.

* * *

 **A/N: I honestly thought no one would read this, but you guys did! -cries tears of joy- Anyhow, leave a review if you feel like making my day! JK you don't have to...but you should...**

 **:D**

 **P.S. This chapter was nearly 5k words dang.**


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